Retail & Ecommerce

Earlier this month, Philadelphia passed a bill rendering cashless stores like Amazon Go and Sweetgreen illegal and banning future establishments from completely abandoning cash. By July 2019, most retailers in the city will be required to offer consumers a cash payment option.

Following bankruptcies of other retail stalwarts from a bygone era like Sears, Toys "R" Us and Mattress Firm, Payless’ demise doesn’t come as a shock, yet it is another cautionary tale of a retailer that failed to evolve its brand.

The 2018 retail holiday season was exceptionally strong, with the highest growth rates for brick-and-mortar and ecommerce sales since 2011. Online spending performed noticeably better than the industry’s already optimistic expectations.

Social commerce only drives a fraction of ecommerce sales, but it's picking up speed. Between 2016 and 2018, social networks as a last-touch channel have doubled in visit share to US retail sites, according to Q3 2018 data from Adobe.

“Try before you buy,” AR and an improved online experience will breathe new life into established ecommerce categories like apparel and accessories, furniture and home furnishings, and toys and hobbies by the end of our 2023 forecast period.

In the latest episode of "Behind the Numbers," we're looking into Walmart's digital sales and how the brick-and-mortar giant has used its vast physical footprint to win a big chunk of the ecommerce market.

Many retailers have dedicated time and effort into becoming “customer-obsessed”—using data-driven insights and engagement to provide meaningful experiences and increase lifetime customer value. But many aren’t seeing the revenue growth. A new study from Listrak, conducted by Forrester Consulting, examines the disconnect between marketing efforts and business outcomes.